Automobile parking apparatus



4 Sheets-Sheet l O. C. BUTZIEN AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 16, 1940 Jan. 6, 1942.

Zzz'eiz/ I N V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

0. Cfzz Jan. 6, 1942. o. c. BU-rzlEN 4 AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1e, 1940 4 Sheecs--Slfleeil 2 0. 'BzzZzz'ezz INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Jan. r6, 1942.

o. c. BUTzlp-:N

AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 16, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 amm IN VEN TOR.

A TTORN E YS.

Jan. 6, 1942. o. c. BUTZIEN 2,268,800

AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS f Filed Aug. 16, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 4 0, zazzie R' INVENTOR.

A TT ORNE YS.

Patented Jan. 6, 1942 vUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE PARKDIG APPARATUS Oscar C. Butzien, Portland, Oreg.

Application August 16, 1940, Serial N0. 352,970 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-161) This invention relates to apparatus designed primarily for parking automobiles in rows of superposed tiers, one of the objects being to provide a truck for movement between the tiers of stalls, there being mounted on the truck a turntable which can be rotated to bring the supported vehicleat any ldesired angle for entry into a predetermined stall and which can also be raised and lowered to the proper elevation.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character including a motor having mechanism by which the truck can be driven along a track provided therefor and by means of which the turntable can be rotated and canbe raised and lowered at will.

A still further object is to provide parking apparatus which is simple and compact in construction and can be manipulated readily, it being possible, through the use thereof in connection with properly positioned tiers of stalls, to park automobiles in different rows and at different elevations without danger of injury to them.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is an end elevation of the apparatus, portions of the adjacent tiers of stalls being shown.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2 2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section'on line 4-4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the turntable and the friction wheel inengagement therewith.

Figure 6 is an enlarged section through a portion of the drive mechanism.

Referring to the figures by characters of refy erence, I designates the flat body of the truck which is provided with transverse axles 2 supported by wheels 3 and these wheels are adapted to travel along a track R located between parallel rows of stalls S located in tiers as shown. Each stall is of such size as to receive a single automobile. One of the axles 2 is xedly connected to its wheels and has a drive wheel 4 adapted to receive motion through a belt 5 from a wheel 6 located at the lower end ofa shaft 1. This shaft is journalled in the center of the body I and projects upwardly through the center of a circular turntable 8. friction wheels 9 or the like supported by annularly spaced holders I secured to the body I adjacent to its periphery. A gear II is secured to the upper end of shaft 1.

Secured to the turntable 8 and extending upwardly therefrom are parallel guide rails I2 which can be braced as shown at I3 and are connected at their upper ends by a top frame I4. A table I is fitted between and adapted to slide alc ng the rails I2, this table being of such size as to readily support a motor vehicle to be parked. Extending through this table adjacent to its corners are screws I6 journalled at their lower ends in the turntable 8 and at their upper ends in the frame I4. These screws are engaged by sprockets I1 carried by the table I5 so that when the sprockets are rotated in one direction, table I5 will be moved upwardly and when they are rotated in the opposite direction the table will be moved downwardly. As shown particularly in Figure 3 all of these sprockets are connected by an endless chain I8 which, in turn, is engaged by a drive sprocket I9 journalled on and movable with the table I5. 'Ihis sprocket is connected to a shaft extending through table I 5 .and provided at its upper end with a gear 2| adapted to be engaged by a shiftable gear 22. This shiftable gear is slidable on but rotatable with a shaft 23, any'suity able means being employed for moving the gear 22 into and out of mesh with gear 2|. For example it may be provided with a collar 24 having an annular groove 25 engaged by the forked end 28 of a shifting lever 21. y

A transmission housing has been indicated at 28 and has a lever`29 projecting therefrom by which motion from a shaft 29 to a shaft 30 and to shaft 23 can be controlled. As this gearing in itself constitutes no part of the present invention it is not deemed necessary to describe or show the same. Shaft 30 is provided with wheels 3l and 32, the wheel 3| transmitting motion through a belt 33 to a wheel 34 on a counter-shaft 35. Another wheel 36 is secured to the counter-shaft and transmits motion downwardly through a belt 31 to a wheel 38 on a shaft 39 which is journalled in hangers depending from-the table I5. This shaft 39 has a gear 4I so located that when the table I5 is brought to its lowermost position. gear III will be caused to mesh with gear II. vAt all other times,l however, the gears 4I and II are out Qi meSh.

This turntable is mounted on anti- I Motion is transmitted to the shaft 25 through wheel and belt mechanism 42 from a motor 43 which can be an electric motor and which is located on the table I5.

The wheel 32 is adapted to drive a belt 44 which, in turn, engages and operates a wheel 45 which is slidable on an angular shaft 4I. This shaft is joumalled at its lower end in a body I and at its upper endin the frame I4. It carries a friction wheel" near its lower end which is so located as to engage the periphery of the turntable 8 and rotates the turntable when wheel '41 is actuated. Wheel 45 is held in any suitable manner to the table I5 so that when the table is moved upwardly and downwardly the wheel 45 will move therewith. One means for obtaining this result can be an angular bracket 48 secured to the table and lapping the wheel 45.

Hingedly connected to opposed sides of the table I5 are gang-planks 49 adapted, when lowered, to bridge the space between table I5 and the adjacent stall.

Normally the table I5 is in its lowermost position with gear 4I in mesh with gear II and with the gang-planks 4! raised upwardly or folded back onto the table I5. When it is desired to store an automobile in one of the stalls of an upper tier, motion is transmitted from the motor 43 through belt 44 and its wheels to shaft 45 with the result that the friction wheel 41 will slowly rotate the turntable 8 and bring it to a position substantially at right angle to that shown in the drawings. One of the gang-planks is then lowered and the vehicle to be parked is moved thereover onto the table I5. The shaft 45 is again rotated so that wheel 41 will bring the turntable back to the position shown in the drawings. After shaft 46 is disconnected from the motor, motion is transmitted from the motor through the speed reduction mechanism 3l to 39 inclusive to gear 4I with the result that this gear, which is in mesh with gear II, will rotate said gear and its shaft 1 so that the body I will be moved along the track rails R until the apparatus has been brought opposite the stall which is to receive the vehicle. The apparatus is then brought to a stop and motion transmitted from the motor through gears 22 and 2l to shaft 20 and sprocket I9. This will result in simultaneous actuation of all of the sprockets I1 with the result that these sprockets will move upwardly along the screws I6, immediately disengaging gear 4I from gear II. This upward movement will continue until table I5 is brought into proper position to deliver the car therefrom whereupon the gangplank 49 is lowered onto the floor of the stall into which the vehicle is to be moved and said vehicle then directed over the gang-plank and into the stall. Following delivery of the vehicle into its stall, the foregoing operations are reversed whereupon the apparatus is ready to receive and store another vehicle.

Obviously if the vehicles are to be stored in lower stalls it would not be necessary to raise table I5.

Obviously by providing a handling apparatus such as has been described, the opposed rows of stalls can be placed closer together and can be made narrower than would be possible should it be necessary to drive the automobiles into the respective stalls. The distance between the opposed rows need only be slightly greater than the overall length of the table on which the vehicle is mounted. Consequently storage space is greatly conserved and a greater number of vehicles can be parked in a given space than has heretofore been possible.

What is claimed is:

l. A car parking elevator including a track, a wheel-supported truck body mounted for movement along the track, a turntable mounted for rotation on and carried by the body, a shaft extending through the turntable and body and constituting a connection therebetween, feed screws extending upwar from the turntable, guide rails extending upwandly from the turntable, a table mounted for movement along the rails, feeding means engaging the screws and carried by the table, a motor on the table, a driving element operatively connected to the motor. means on the shaft in the truck body and turntable for engagement and actuation by said element when the table is in lowermost position, a driving connection between said shaft and one of the wheels of the truck body, means operated by the motor for driving the screw-engaging means to raise the table and break the driving connection between said motor-driven element and the shaft.

2. A car parking elevator including a track, a wheel-supported truck body mounted for movement along the track, a turntable mounted for rotation on and carried by the body, a shaft extending through the turntable and body and constituting a connection therebetween, feed screws extending upwardly from the turntable, guide rails extending upwardly from the turntable, a table mounted for movement along the rails, feeding means engaging the screws and carried by the table, a motor on the table, a

' driving element operatively connected to the motor, means on the shaft in the truck body and turn-table for engagement and actuation by said element when the table is in lowermost position, a driving connection between said shaft and one of the wheels of the truck body. means operated by the motor for driving the screwengaging means to raise the table and break the driving connection between the motor and the shaft, and means operated by the motor for rotating the turntable and the parts thereon relative to the truck body, thereby to position the table substantially in line with any one of the stalls.

3. A car parking elevator including a track, a wheel-supported truck body movable along the track, a drive mechanism including a shaft extending through the truck body, a turntable mounted for rotation on the shaft and relative to the truck body, guide rails upstanding from the turntable, screws upstanding from the turntable, a table movable along the guide rails, means movable with said' table for engaging the screws, a motor on the table, means driven by the motor for actuating the screw-engaging means to raise or lower the table along the guide rails, motor-actuated means for driving the shalt in the truck body when the table is in lowermost position, said table, when moved upwardly from its lowermost position, constituting means for breaking the driving Aconnection between said shaft and the motor, and means operated by the motor for rotating the turntable.

4. A car parking elevator including a track, a wheel-supported truck body movable along the track, a drive mechanism including a shaft extending through the truck body, av turntable mounted for rotation on the shaft and relative to the truck body, guide rails upstanding from the turntable, screws upstanding from the turntable, a table movable along the guide rails, means movable with said table for engaging the screws, a motor on the table, means driven by the motor for actuating the screw-engaging means to raise or lower the table along the guide rails, motor-actuated means for driving the shaft in the truck body, said table, when lowered, constituting means for operatively connecting the shaft and said motor-actuated means and, when moved upwardly, constituting means for breaking the driving connection between said shaft and the motor, and means operated by the motor for rotating the turntable, said means including a shaft journalled in the truck body and parallel with the guide rails, a friction wheel rotatable with said shaft and in engagement with the periphery of the turntable, a wheel movable with the table and in sliding and driving engagement with the shaft. and means for .transmitting motion to said wheel from the motor.

5. A car parking elevator including a track,

a wheel-supported truck body movable along thev screws, a motor on the table, means driven by the motor for actuating the screw-engaging means to raise or lower the table along the guide rails, motor actuated means carried by the table for driving the shaft in the truck body, said table, when moved to its lowest position constituting means for operatively connecting said motor-actuated means to the shaft and, when moved upwardly, constituting means for breaking the driving connection between said shaft and the motor, and means operated by the motor for rotating the turntable, a gang-plank movably connected to the table and proportioned to swing into engagement with the bottom of any one of the stalls.

6. The combination with a body mounted for back and forth horizontal movement, of a turntable mounted for rotation on and carried by the body, guide rails extending upwardly from the turntable, a table mounted for movement upwardly and downwardly along the rails, a motor on the table, means driven by the motor for raising and lowering the table. a shaft for propelling the body, and motor driven means movable by the table into driving connection with the shaft when the table is brought to its lowermost position, and out of driving connection with said shaft when the table is raised.

OSCAR C. BUTZIEN. 

